“I think she’s afraid we’ll only survive on Mountain Dew and Sour Patch Kids if she doesn’t intervene.” He huffs a laugh.
“First of all, where do you get off calling her Nan? Her name is Allie. She’smyNan. Secondly, are you telling me you wouldn’t be living off junk food if it weren’t for my grandmother?”
“Dang, girl. Easy,” he says, throwing his hands up in mock surrender. “I honestly didn’t even know her name, she’s alwaystold my brothers and me to call her Nan. And no, I’m not about to deny that the only healthy food we eat these days comes from next door.” He takes a couple steps toward me, placing his hands on his hips and slightly lifting one corner of his mouth. Those toffee eyes he’s donning connect with my own blues like magnets, and the jolt of energy that zaps through me is jarring.
“I’m Johnnie.” It’s the only thing that manages to come out next.
“Nice to meet you, Johnnie. I’m Collins. Collins Combs. And this”—he gestures toward the trailer like Vanna White—“is my humble abode. Want to come in and meet my brothers?”
He doesn’t give me a chance to answer before he steps in front of me, grabbing the front door and guiding me through.
Inside, I’m met with far more cleanliness than what I would expect from a three-man bachelor pad. A green velvet couch sits below the large living room window with Brad Pitt and Leo DiCaprio look-alikes deep in a game of Madden on its cushions. I take a couple steps and set the Tupperware containers onto the kitchen counter as Collins takes a seat in a barstool beside me.
“Yo, guys, this here is Na—” He gives me a side eye. “Nan’s granddaughter, Johnnie. Be polite and say hello.”
Both guys glance my way and give me a simultaneous “hey” and continue moving their thumbs and staring at the TV screen on the opposite wall.
Now that I’m seeing all three of these brothers up close, I notice how truly similar they appear in looks, but the two on the couch are nearly impossible to make a distinction between. Brad and Leo rolled into one, with the most gorgeous, wavy, dirty-blonde hair. A lethal combination.
“I can see the wheels turning in that pretty little head of yours.”
I didn’t realize I was staring as I snap my attention back to Collins.
“Yes, they’re twins. I’m the odd man out,” he says, letting his teeth make an appearance for the first time…and oh my lord. There’s the slightest gap between his two front, perfectly straight, white teeth.That’s unexpectedly hot.
“Campbell, raise a hand.”
I look over and see a hand fly up, making me giggle.
“And the other nutsack is Crandall.”
“Collins, Campbell, and Crandall? That’s not confusing at all. And your last name is Combs? Were your parents Cathy and Chris?” I suck in a sharp breath as my stomach bottoms out, when I realize I’ve mentioned their dead parents.
But Collins chimes in right away, like he senses my embarrassment. “Nah, they were Bryan and Madge. All our names are actually surnames from down the line. Our mom thought it was cool there were so many family names with so much in common. She was big into naming things. We once had two tabby cats that you couldn’t tell apart, so she named them Copy and Paste.”
I can’t help the loud laugh that escapes my mouth, and Collins gives me another glance of those gapped front teeth.
Lordy, I think I could spend the rest of my life making this man smile just to see the sliver of dark between his pearly whites. God, what the hell am I thinking? I need to get out of here.
Standing up, I point to the food I brought. “Umm, I should get going. Enjoy your sandwiches. Nan put everything in there you need to make BLTs. The tomatoes are from her garden, they’re really good. It was nice meeting you all.”
I’m just about to turn the knob and let myself out when warmth hits my back and a hand covers the top of mine.
“Here, let me get the door for you,” Collins says. “It sticks, you gotta wiggle it just right.”
My knees feel like jelly, but I manage to make my way down the few steps and onto the cement slab of porch between our two trailers. I’m already heading up the small front deck steps at Nan’s when I glance over my shoulder to see Collins run a hand through his already-messy mop of chocolate and caramel tresses, his eyes glued to me.
I start to head inside, but take one more look, just in time to see his smirk and a wink.
He just winked at me.
That’s when I realize…
I’m so screwed.
CHAPTER 2
collins